Legally Blonde fans name pop star who should succeed Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in prequel series

Spin-off will follow the lead through her teenage years before she subverted expectations and became a successful lawyer

Legally Blonde fans have named the person they think should take on the mantle of Elle Woods in the newly announced prequel series to the iconic Noughties films.

The forthcoming spin-off was announced on Tuesday (14 May) at an Amazon advertisers presentation by Reese Witherspoon, 48, who originated the role of Woods in the 2001 classic and its 2003 sequel.

Eager fans were quick to react to the news on X, begging the streamer to cast the 25-year-old singing sensation Sabrina Carpenter as the new lead.

“Cast Sabrina Carpenter as Elle Woods please and thank you,” one person wrote, with a second adding: “I just saw someone saying Sabrina Carpenter needs to play Elle & now it’s all I can think about.”

A third tweeted: “Sabrina Carpenter pls call ur agent NOW.”

“This is so unnecessary unless Sabrina Carpenter is starring as Elle then it’s important,” a fourth argued.

“Who do I have to call to get Sabrina Carpenter the role of Elle Woods,” another said.

Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in ‘Legally Blonde’ (left) and Sabrina Carpenter (MGM/Getty Images)

The “Espresso” singer is known for her long blonde hair, which fits Wood’s description.

In 2018, Carpenter also released a Legally Blonde-inspired music video for her song “Sue Me”.

The new series, currently titled Elle, will follow the character through her teenage years, delving into the experiences that shaped her into the ambitious young woman viewers know from the original films.

Teasing the project on Instagram, Witherspoon, who will executive produce the show alongside Laura Kittrell (High School, Insecure), wrote: “Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law, she was just a regular ‘90s high school girl.

“And all of you are going to get to know her next year on Prime Video,” the Morning Show star added.

Following its July 2001 release, Legally Blonde earned $141m at the worldwide box office. The comedy, directed by Robert Luketic, was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Witherspoon.

The series announcement comes amid confusion over the forthcoming third Legally Blonde film, starring Witherspoon, which was originally slated for release in 2020.

Two years ago, Witherspoon likened Legally Blonde 3 to the blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick and claimed she still “hoped” the film could “come together”.

“They waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated in it,” she told USA Today.

“I feel like these characters are my friends, so I safeguard them. I would never make the subpar, mediocre version of their story.”